Yes, this is a great post. All the self-help books in the world add up to nothing compared to The Holy Bible. The more time we spend in God's word, the more direction we will receive for our lives. He will give us a peace that surpasses all understanding in our storms. No other resource can do that.
Amen. So grateful for His word which is living and active. His Holy Spirit makes His Word come alive and God strengthens and encourages us in the midst of life’s suffering. I can’t imagine life without His love and Presence.
I am grateful for the “bigness” of God. Whatever is going on with me, within me, around me… God can hold it. “See, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.” Thanks, Susan!
Yes, read from Lamentations 3 this morning... Jeremiah suffered greatly in his prophetic role, he's the one prophet we know thew most about because the book of Jeremiah includes all that he encountered. "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him!" Lam 3:24. All we have is from him!
I've recently been moved by the suffering of Jesus on our behalf. He's been to the depths for us! As I look back on my life, all the significant spiritual growth (mine, spouse, sons) has come during times of brokenness. I remember praying for my sons when they were young--that they would grow up to love the Lord...but what God first brought in response to my prayers, was difficulty, and challenges.
What beautiful reminders of God’s redemptive power and grace, Chuck. Though none of us need look for trials, they will surely come. Great reminders from Jeremiah. Thank you. May He continually draw us close to the throne of grace.
Because I never blamed God. I knew it was my fault and my sin, my bad decisions for not listening to Heavenly father in the first place and of course the human condition of sin that brings about suffering even when we are obedient to our Heavenly father. Also Jesus suffered so much and we learn so much about him and ourselves through our own suffering. As it helps develop and forge the necessary character traits and fruits of God's Spirit in far more fullness & effectiveness within us as well as to inculcate within us to exemplify more of the character nature and likeness of our beloved Jesus within us. It serves an amazing purpose, also in having empathy & understanding.
One last thing: in the next day or so, I will be releasing part two of a three part series on faith. The next version is On Faith: Healing, Faith, which will address the issue of a good God versus our suffering. Sorry to take up so much bandwidth.
Oh, please don't ever apologize. You're contributing in a valuable way so that's appreciated, and I don't view it as taking up bandwidth. I'd call it blessing others instead. I'm delighted to hear from you, and I'd love to take a look at this whole series. Thanks for letting me know. I think we're kindred spirits, Dr. Bob!
Thanks, you’re most kind. The first of the series, On Faith: Faith & Reason, is up; Healing Faith is next, then The Transaction of Faith last. And yup, kindred spirits for sure… You’re in counseling, in what position/capacity?
I retired from counseling. I had a masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and specialized in grief associated with health conditions and adjustment to disability but also did mental health and Christian counseling. I shifted to a coaching practice in recent years because I work part time due to my health (MS) and I focus on my writing as well. I use many faith based approaches and have a certification in Relational Spirituality (led by Dr Todd Hall of Biola). I love helping people heal and grow.
Thank you, this is powerful stuff. Personally, I have just come out of an extremely challenging time of life. After a long period of spiritual dryness, over the past several years, I have struggled with significant depression, and then sustained the year from hell last year with long Covid, five hospital admissions , no one able to diagnose any of it. As a physician, it was beyond frustrating. My faith remained fairly strong over this period of time in the last year or so, but I didn’t endure it with the song in my heart, as the saying goes. By God‘s grace I have come through this and I’m now in good health again and my depression is well controlled. Spiritually, I repeatedly ask God for understanding of the lessons I want to be learning. I may have learned a few, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. However, I now have a much deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord, and a very strong sense of his presence throughout the day. So the result has been a deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord, rather than a series of intellectual lessons. This is by far a greater gift.
Oh dear, brother, that's such a hard experience to go through. I often work with people (I'm a retired counselor who still does Relational Spirituality Coaching) who have been through times kind of like you mentioned. I understand how deeply frustrating it would be to struggle to get a clear diagnosis, especially being a doctor yourself. I went through ten years of challenges trying to get an accurate diagnosis for what turned out to be Multiple Sclerosis. I've written about some of my experiences in other articles, but I think for many of us any extended period of time where depression or anxiety impact us, that can add insult to injury so to speak. I've always said that depression distorts our thinking, so even our faith can feel less accessible. But I am delighted to hear about how God has used these trials to produce a deeper, more intimate relationship with the LORD now, and a strong sense of His Presence throughout the day. I have seen God use my physical condition in the lives of others. I find it redemptive when He does so, and this helps me persevere. But during the pandemic, I went through a dark time and hope felt elusive. I remember telling my friend it didn't feel like God would ever redeem those struggles. Of course I knew intellectually He probably would eventually, but again, it's hard to sense this when you're struggling. But in recent years, I too have felt such a renewed sense of purpose, and though I've had some rough physical health to contend with at times and some hospital visits or surgeries, emotionally and spiritually I have been doing so well. His Presence and love accompany me, and what more could I want? I see God often use the hardships to allow me to minister to others, so I feel grateful for those tough times. I feel incredibly blessed. Your comment really fits with the book I am writing. I wonder if you'd be open to me sharing this comment in one chapter? Or perhaps asking you a few other questions?
There is a volume that could be written about this one statement below Susan and I bet you could write it. Spot on.
"I believe it’s important to develop a biblical theology of suffering–accurate insights into the character of God and the reality of suffering in this life."
Yes, this is a great post. All the self-help books in the world add up to nothing compared to The Holy Bible. The more time we spend in God's word, the more direction we will receive for our lives. He will give us a peace that surpasses all understanding in our storms. No other resource can do that.
Amen. So grateful for His word which is living and active. His Holy Spirit makes His Word come alive and God strengthens and encourages us in the midst of life’s suffering. I can’t imagine life without His love and Presence.
I am grateful for the “bigness” of God. Whatever is going on with me, within me, around me… God can hold it. “See, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.” Thanks, Susan!
Yes. I understand and agree. He’s worthy of our trust. Take care.
Yes, read from Lamentations 3 this morning... Jeremiah suffered greatly in his prophetic role, he's the one prophet we know thew most about because the book of Jeremiah includes all that he encountered. "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him!" Lam 3:24. All we have is from him!
I've recently been moved by the suffering of Jesus on our behalf. He's been to the depths for us! As I look back on my life, all the significant spiritual growth (mine, spouse, sons) has come during times of brokenness. I remember praying for my sons when they were young--that they would grow up to love the Lord...but what God first brought in response to my prayers, was difficulty, and challenges.
What beautiful reminders of God’s redemptive power and grace, Chuck. Though none of us need look for trials, they will surely come. Great reminders from Jeremiah. Thank you. May He continually draw us close to the throne of grace.
Beautifully written, Susan. Thank you!
Thank you for your love for us ❤️
You’re so very welcome. Your words of gratitude warm my heart. Thank you, Alice.
Always grateful to hear your steadfast voice and encouragement to seek God ❤️
This is beautiful. Suffering actually brought me back to heavenly father not away from Him.
Because I never blamed God. I knew it was my fault and my sin, my bad decisions for not listening to Heavenly father in the first place and of course the human condition of sin that brings about suffering even when we are obedient to our Heavenly father. Also Jesus suffered so much and we learn so much about him and ourselves through our own suffering. As it helps develop and forge the necessary character traits and fruits of God's Spirit in far more fullness & effectiveness within us as well as to inculcate within us to exemplify more of the character nature and likeness of our beloved Jesus within us. It serves an amazing purpose, also in having empathy & understanding.
Amen, dear sister.
What a great post! Thank you.
You’re welcome.
This is so encouraging, Susan. 😊
I am thankful, my friend.
One last thing: in the next day or so, I will be releasing part two of a three part series on faith. The next version is On Faith: Healing, Faith, which will address the issue of a good God versus our suffering. Sorry to take up so much bandwidth.
Oh, please don't ever apologize. You're contributing in a valuable way so that's appreciated, and I don't view it as taking up bandwidth. I'd call it blessing others instead. I'm delighted to hear from you, and I'd love to take a look at this whole series. Thanks for letting me know. I think we're kindred spirits, Dr. Bob!
Thanks, you’re most kind. The first of the series, On Faith: Faith & Reason, is up; Healing Faith is next, then The Transaction of Faith last. And yup, kindred spirits for sure… You’re in counseling, in what position/capacity?
I retired from counseling. I had a masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and specialized in grief associated with health conditions and adjustment to disability but also did mental health and Christian counseling. I shifted to a coaching practice in recent years because I work part time due to my health (MS) and I focus on my writing as well. I use many faith based approaches and have a certification in Relational Spirituality (led by Dr Todd Hall of Biola). I love helping people heal and grow.
Susan,
Thank you, this is powerful stuff. Personally, I have just come out of an extremely challenging time of life. After a long period of spiritual dryness, over the past several years, I have struggled with significant depression, and then sustained the year from hell last year with long Covid, five hospital admissions , no one able to diagnose any of it. As a physician, it was beyond frustrating. My faith remained fairly strong over this period of time in the last year or so, but I didn’t endure it with the song in my heart, as the saying goes. By God‘s grace I have come through this and I’m now in good health again and my depression is well controlled. Spiritually, I repeatedly ask God for understanding of the lessons I want to be learning. I may have learned a few, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. However, I now have a much deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord, and a very strong sense of his presence throughout the day. So the result has been a deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord, rather than a series of intellectual lessons. This is by far a greater gift.
Oh dear, brother, that's such a hard experience to go through. I often work with people (I'm a retired counselor who still does Relational Spirituality Coaching) who have been through times kind of like you mentioned. I understand how deeply frustrating it would be to struggle to get a clear diagnosis, especially being a doctor yourself. I went through ten years of challenges trying to get an accurate diagnosis for what turned out to be Multiple Sclerosis. I've written about some of my experiences in other articles, but I think for many of us any extended period of time where depression or anxiety impact us, that can add insult to injury so to speak. I've always said that depression distorts our thinking, so even our faith can feel less accessible. But I am delighted to hear about how God has used these trials to produce a deeper, more intimate relationship with the LORD now, and a strong sense of His Presence throughout the day. I have seen God use my physical condition in the lives of others. I find it redemptive when He does so, and this helps me persevere. But during the pandemic, I went through a dark time and hope felt elusive. I remember telling my friend it didn't feel like God would ever redeem those struggles. Of course I knew intellectually He probably would eventually, but again, it's hard to sense this when you're struggling. But in recent years, I too have felt such a renewed sense of purpose, and though I've had some rough physical health to contend with at times and some hospital visits or surgeries, emotionally and spiritually I have been doing so well. His Presence and love accompany me, and what more could I want? I see God often use the hardships to allow me to minister to others, so I feel grateful for those tough times. I feel incredibly blessed. Your comment really fits with the book I am writing. I wonder if you'd be open to me sharing this comment in one chapter? Or perhaps asking you a few other questions?
There is a volume that could be written about this one statement below Susan and I bet you could write it. Spot on.
"I believe it’s important to develop a biblical theology of suffering–accurate insights into the character of God and the reality of suffering in this life."
Thank you, Brian. I’m planning to write a chapter that addresses this. I am glad those words stood out to you. It’s something I have pondered a lot.
Thank you for sharing! This reminds me of Elisabeth Elliot’s book A Path through Suffering
I love her testimony and books.
Me too! I love that her foundation also has a podcast where you can listen to her old seminars/speaking events!
That’s great. I used to listen to many of those and I am glad to be reminded.
thanks for the restack, Ken! Blessings on your weekend.
I will be sure to tell my husband so.